The Floating City: A Collection of Drabbles
by CrimsonSkyTamer
Summary: A collection of drabbles regarding the lives of students in Hope's Peak Academy. All OCs are from the forum "The Floating City" and I own only my character, Akiyama Ryuenji. ((Rating is from K to T; Genre may change with each new drabble.))
1. Late - Mayu(enji)

_Characters: Makoto Kusari (owned by OneBehindTheMask), Akiyama Ryuenji (owned by me)_

_Prompt: "Late"_

_Pairing: TacticalSolution Shipping (aka MakotoXRyu)_

_Anime/Forum: Danganronpa, The Floating City_

* * *

_**[Late]**_

It was a warm sunny day outside. Not that they would know it, of course. Being trapped inside a school with thick steel plates covering the windows tends to mess up your sense of time.

The sky was a bright clear blue, which contrasted greatly with the students' mood. All except for hers. She didn't think that she could feel anything anymore.

He was the only person whom had ever truly understood her.

He was also the only person whom she had ever loved.

And now…he was dead.

Killed by one of the sixteen other students in this school; with a pair of scissors stuck in his back and multiple thin cuts all over his body, even though he died of head trauma.

Makoto Kusari, the Super High School Level Chess Master, was dead.

The tears had fallen when she saw his cold, unmoving body. If only she had gone to look for him sooner…if only she had realised what her feelings truly were earlier…

It was too late now.

All her life, she had always been one step behind.

When she was a lot younger, she had come up with a theory for diverting the nuclear energy. Yet even she realised that there was a calculation error in the working, the machine was started and several cities were razed to the ground, killing hundreds of innocents.

In middle school, she only ever realised that the other students were just making use of her after she finished all of their work. It was then that she decided to drop out of public eye.

Now, in high school, when she finally realised that he was the one she loved, he was gone.

"_It's time for the trial, you bastards!"_

Emotion drained out of her heterochromatic eyes as a cold rage filled her from within. She would find the culprit even if it cost her life.

She would get revenge no matter what. Because this time, she could afford to be late no longer.


	2. Sacrifice - Yuria, Rizaya

_Characters: Yuki Miharu (owned by DarkRubySparks), Aria Merrit (owned by FirelightKnight), Ritsu Mitsukawa (owned by JokersMaze) and Izaya Shuichiro (owned by Koizumi no Yokan)_

_Prompt: "Sacrifice"_

_Pairing: Yuria (aka YuriXAria) and Rizaya (aka RitsuXIzaya)_

_Anime/Forum: Danganronpa, The Floating City_

* * *

_**[Sacrifice]**_

"Yuki...no..." Tears fell to the floor as Aria watched her best friend get strangled before her very eyes by Ritsu Mitsukawa, SHSL Hypnotist.

"I said it...didn't I?" Yuki smiled weakly, even as blood dripped from the wounds on her neck, staining the silver chain blood red. "If anyone ever wanted to kill Aria-chan or Izaya-kun, they'd have to kill me first."

The sands of time were running low for the musician. Grain by grain they slipped away, until not a single one was left. _I'm sorry...Aria-chan. I didn't manage to protect you after all..._

The body of Yuki Miharu hung limply from the chain in Ritsu's hands. Releasing the chain, Ritsu watched coldly as the dead girl fell to the floor. "Yuki...Yuki...Yuki!" Aria called out, falling to her knees, desperately shaking the body of the dead girl. Even as blood gushed out of the wounds, staining her hands and attire blood red, she didn't stop. She couldn't.

_She's not dead...she can't be...there's no way Yuki-chan could be dead..._

Two different liquids fell onto the cold, hard floor, where they mixed together. One fell from the eyes of a girl who had just lost her best friend, and the other flowed out from the wound of the girl who had died to protect her best friend.

Out of the blue, a clock was dangled before Aria. "If you can tell the time, Mistress Aria, you need not follow Mistress Yuki's path." Ritsu smiled. It was cold and confident, however. The clock had no hands.

"I-I can't..." Aria began, only to stop short as she was stabbed from the back. The knife blade potruded from her chest, even as blood trickled from the side of her mouth. A-Ah...it looks as though I'll be joining you soon, Yuki-chan...

As the body of Aria Merrit fell to the floor, Izaya Shuichiro pulled the knife out from the lifeless girl. Blood stained the knife all the way up to the hilt, and some was even splashed on his shirt. "Sir Izaya..." Ritsu began, but stopped when she saw Izaya throw the knife in the sink. "Let's go." He said, giving one last glance to the two dead girls - one who swore to protect him, and the other who said that she would be his friend.

_I'm sorry._ And with that, the duo left in silence.

((Omake: In the afterlife...))

"I'm so sorry, Aria-chan...I failed to protect you." Yuki apologised, only to get hushed by the other… "It's not your fault, Yuki-chan. You did your best." Aria smiled, before looking up into the clear blue sky - the direct opposite of what the rest of Class 69 was currently seeing. "I'm just glad that Izaya-kun managed to find the one for him." She squeezed Yuki's hand. "And I'm glad that I'm here with you."

"Me too, Aria-chan." Yuki squeezed Aria's hand in return, a smile on her face. "Me too."


	3. Farewell - Rizaya

_Characters: Ritsu Mitsukawa (owned by JokersMaze) and Izaya Shuichiro (owned by Koizumi no Yokan)_

_Prompt: "Farewell"_

_Pairing: Rizaya_

_Anime/Forum: Danganronpa, The Floating City_

* * *

_**[Farewell]**_

"Goddamn all you shits!" Izaya shouted. "I told you, I was the one who killed that fucking musician!"

"Man, that's not...man. Really, that's not convincing us, man." Chuu said, shaking his head. Rina had already provided the evidence that "rammed the point home", so to speak.

"Enough, Sir Izaya." Ritsu finally said. "I was indeed Mistress Yuki's murderer." She turned to the rest of the students. "Let us begin the vote?"

Thirteen students gave her grim nods. The SHSL Arsonist refused, however, slamming his fists into his podium so hard that he could have sworn his fingers were broken. "Damn it…I refuse to let you die, Ritsu!"

The SHSL Hypnotist shook her head. "This is the price I must pay for my deed. Do not try to stop me, Sir Izaya."

Izaya opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by a loud screech. "Shuddap and vote, you fucking bastards!" Monokabu shouted, slamming his paws on his chair's armrests. "Or voting time will be over!"

One by one, the students casted their votes. Even as they did so, Izaya knew that it was a lost cause, but he still had to try. Because for Ritsu, death wasn't an option. It had never been an option.

Monokabu counted the votes, before shaking its head in mock disappointment. "Ritsu Mitsukawa has been voted as the culprit…and sadly, you little bastards are correct. Though I'm surprised that we don't have a full vote even after she confessed! It seems as though Izaya has voted for himself, upupu~"

Ritsu sighed, before placing her pocketwatch on her podium. If she was going to die, she wanted to at least something for Izaya to remember her by.

"Damn it…damn it! Ritsu!" Izaya's voice cracked, with pain punctuating every syllable.

She lifted a hand in greeting as she walked to her doom. "Farewell, Sir Izaya." _And may Time serve to warn you, protect you…just as it did for me._

Arrivederci.


	4. Smile - Chuuria

_(Main) Characters: Chuu Ono (owned by mrean22) and Aria Merrit (owned by FirelightKnight)_

_(Other) Characters: Miyamura Rei (LostinBeats), Yuki Miharu (DarkRubySparks)_

_Prompt: Smile_

_Pairing: Chuuria (aka ChuuXAria)_

_Anime/Forum: Danganronpa, The Floating City_

* * *

_**[Smile]**_

It had been days since the SHSL Artist, Aria Merrit, last talked to one of her classmates. And it had been weeks since she was bullied by some of students from the "reserve" department. Still, she said nothing, choosing to communicate only when necessary – and even then, it was limited to nods and shakes of her head.

She wouldn't even talk to her best friends.

Most of her classmates brushed it off. A few of them asked Aria to approach them if she ever needed help, but did little else.

The one person who was very worried about her, on the other hand, couldn't work up the courage to speak to her. _Man, I'm so afraid of embarrassing myself…but she's just a girl, man!_ Chuu, SHSL Golfer, sighed. _Still, man…I'm worried for her. Aria's acting really weird, man…_

Finally, he decided to speak up. "Man, Aria…could I talk to you, man?" He shrugged slightly, feeling awkward and self-conscious. Aria walked over silently. Even as Yuki made to follow, Chuu quickly spoke up once more. "Um, in private…man?"

Aria nodded, following Chuu out of the classroom. Neither of them noticed the sly smiles on the faces of Rei Miyamura, SHSL Escort and Yuki Miharu, SHSL Musician, who also known as the SHSL Shipper.

Oops.

Chuu and Aria had reached the end of the hallway, where it was quiet and they would least likely be disturbed. "Aria, man…" Chuu was embarrassed. "Are you okay, man?"

She nodded slightly, but it was very clear that she was faking it.

"Listen man, I know something's up with you, man." Chuu ran a hand through his hair, not knowing how to phrase his thoughts. He had a serious expression on his face, yet a hint of worry flashed through his eyes. "It's like, man…the Aria I know doesn't act this way, man. Please man, just tell me what's wrong. I want to be able to help you man."

The Artist merely shook her head. _You can't help,_ she wrote on a notepad. _Please…let me deal with it myself._

"But why, man?" Chuu sighed. "C'mon, man…I just want to help…"

Her blue-gray eyes fixed on Chuu's purple ones even as Aria shook her head once more. _I don't want to involve any of you…_ was hurriedly scribbled onto the next page.

The golfer shook his head. "Aria…all of us are concerned about you, man." He hesitated for a moment, before continuing. "Especially me…" Embarrassed, Chuu looked away. "Please, Aria…won't you…won't you just smile?"

_Because what suits you is a smile as bright as the sun. _


	5. Final - Izaya

_(Main) Character: Izaya Shuichiro (burakkuhoku – originally named Koizumi no Yokan)_

_Prompt: Final_

_Pairing: None_

_Anime/Forum: Danganronpa, The Floating City_

* * *

_**[Final]**_

_They're all fools. _

He couldn't believe that they didn't realise the truth, even when it was right in front of them.

_But after all, wasn't that the reason why they fell for his trap in the first place?_

"Hey, assholes. Get up here, now. S'time I come clean."

He could take it no longer. This entire game was nothing but a farce – they were but avatars in a computer simulation. There was simply no point in killing bits and pieces of data.

Taking a long drag from his lighted cigarette, the figure wondered how everything would end. The students had lost much; would they have the courage to go on?

…no matter. He'd leave them a way out.

For now.

Most of the students were dead and stuck in that farce of an "afterlife". Of course, there were a few dead people pretending to be alive – not that they knew it – but out of everyone, only a few were truly alive.

He took another long drag from his cigarette. He had given them enough investigation time to find everything – or as much of "everything" as they could find – before calling for the final trial.

"_If you can figure out everything - why you're all here, why you specifically, everything else going on with the school and the killing... then you'll go free... and I'll die like I was supposed to. Fail, and you'll all die and join the others. _

_All or nothing, just like all the others... Fair?"_

He let out a low chuckle. Of course it wasn't fair.

_It's time._

For better or for worse, this would be the final time they entered the courtroom.


	6. Regret - Naomi

_(Main) Character: Naomi Yamaguchi (Arapaima)_

_Other characters: Makoto Kusari (OneBehindTheMask), Zukamine Henushime (SteamBoatCaptain)_

_Prompt: Regret_

_Pairing: None_

_Anime/Forum: Danganronpa, The Floating City_

* * *

_**[Regret]**_

The dark red blood dripped out of the wounds, forming a shallow pool on the floor. She stared at his lifeless corpse, the chair still in her hands.

She continued staring for a few more minutes, before she finally moved. Putting the chair back by the table, she took some Lego pieces out of her pocket and placed them on the floor, before shifting his corpse to hide them.

They would be the only connection to her…provided that the other students were actually smart enough to figure it out.

Her gaze travelled around the room, eventually landing on the scissors in his back. But it should be fine, shouldn't it? No-one had seen her with them – the scissors could belong to anyone…right?

Deciding to quickly leave the room before someone else came, she grabbed the room key from the table and exited the room, before throwing the keys somewhere in the hallway. She then used the pick taken from the SHSL Thief to unlock the door, before dropping the pick near the door that was now ajar.

_This should do it_.

Taking one last look at the corpse of Makoto Kusari, the SHSL Chess Master, Naomi Yamaguchi left the crime scene for her own room.

_Killing you was the most fun I've ever had, Makoto. And I don't regret it._

_Not at all._


	7. The Story of Evil - TFC Cast

_(Major) Characters: Rei Miyamura (LostInBeats), Naomi Yamaguchi (Arapaima), Arata Inoue (SHSL Coder), Akiyama Ryuenji (CrimsonSkyTamer)_

_(Other) Characters: Zukamine Henushime (SteamBoatCaptain), Sven Townsworth (Autumn Maiden Rose), Aria Merrit (Firelight Knight), Yuki Miharu (DarkRubySparks), Satomi Mitsuki (PaloozaChu), Izaya Shuichiro (burakkuhoku,) Battler Phoenix (GM – Jason Phoenix), Ritsu Mitsukawa (JokersMaze)_

_Anime/Forum: Danganronpa, The Floating City_

_Notes: AU story, male!Naomi renamed to Naoki_

* * *

_**[The Story of Evil – TFC Style]**_

"Where's my nail polish?" Rei questioned, combing her long brown hair. As the Princess of the Kingdom of Red, she was royalty, and henceforth had to be treated as such. For her servants to let her run out of nail polish was simply…unforgivable.

A gentle knock on the door echoed around the richly decorated room. "Come in." Rei called out imperiously; barely a second later, the door opened and a blond male entered the room. In his hands were a few bottles of nail polish.

"Your nail polish, my lady." He bowed slightly, before placing the bottles on the drawer before her. Upon closer inspection, both the princess and the servant looked rather alike, with the exception of the hair and eye colours.

"Thank you, Naoki." Rei hummed, before opening one of the bottles and painting her nails. Naoki bowed, before speaking. "The delegation from the Kingdom of Blue will arrive shortly, my lady. I will attend to my duties now, and return after your tea."

The princess smiled – she had been looking forward to the visit from the Prince of Blue, whom she loved. "Very well." Rei said with a dismissive wave; even as Naoki left the room in silence, she walked over to the large window in her room and glanced out of it, almost as if she could see the arrival of the delegation from the Kingdom of Blue.

* * *

The meeting room was richly decorated, much like the rest of the palace. Rubies and garnets hung from the chandeliers, with an elegantly-dressed Rei sitting on the single elaborate chair at the head of the large oak table.

A few minutes later, the doors swung open. Two males dressed in matching blue suits entered the room, before bowing to Rei. A look of displeasure crossed the Princess's face when she realised that her beloved Prince was not present. "Where is Ino-chan?" Rei questioned, her tone icy.

"Prince Inoue is busy…" Sven said, letting his voice trail off slightly. He knew that the reason that would not be accepted by the princess, but he didn't want to die either.

Zukamine bowed once more. "Prince Inoue is busy with his artillery lesson, Princess." He said quietly. "He says that he will arrive slightly later, and hopes that you will forgive him for being late."

"…I see." Rei hummed, before nodding. "Very well. We shall proceed with the discussions regarding the trades while we wait for Ino-chan."

The two delegates nodded and took their seats at the sides of the table.

* * *

He walked around the town, with some bags in his hands. Naoki didn't really like the idea of travelling to another city to get a few snacks, but since it was for Rei, he would do so.

Glancing around, a small smile crossed his face when he saw the fountain. He never failed to be amazed at the fountain, which was made of solid marble and sprayed golden water.

After a few minutes, his handphone vibrated, signaling that it was half past noon. _I'd better return to the castle soon,_ he thought, and turned to leave.

It was at this point in time when Naoki crashed into someone. He stumbled a few steps back, dropping all the bags onto the ground.

"Are you okay, Ryu?" He heard a very familiar voice ask, and he immediately glanced in that direction.

The male with the familiar voice had lifted up his sunglasses and was glancing worriedly at a girl who was brushing herself off. Naoki blinked – why was Prince Inoue of the Kingdom of Blue here, when he was supposed to be in the Kingdom of Red to discuss political matters?

Brushing it off, Naoki picked up his bags one by one. Just as he picked up the last one, however, he realised that the desert inside had smashed upon hitting the floor.

"I apologise. Let me replace that for you." A pair of hands took hold of the bag in his grasp; turning around sharply, his blue eyes met a pair of heterochromatic ones. A small smile curved her lips as she tugged the bag out of his hands.

His gaze followed her as she walked off, even as Inoue Arata placed a hand across his shoulders. "Sorry about that." The Prince apologised, pulling his sunglasses back down.

Naoki shook his head with a small smile. "It's fine." Yet his gaze seemed drawn to that girl who was returning to them with a different plastic bag in hand. Her chest-length black hair stood out among the mostly blond natives, yet she seemed comfortable here.

"Here you go." She passed the bag back to him with that small smile still tugging at her lips.

Naoki took the bag, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly. "Thank you…" Feeling his phone vibrate once more, he pulled it out to check the time.

_Damn, I'm running late._ He quickly bowed to them before turning to leave, but a hand around his wrist stopped him for just a moment.

"What's your name?" The girl asked.

It took him a moment to reply, and in the next moment, he was gone, running through the crowd and back to his kingdom.

"_Naoki…Yamaguchi."_

* * *

"My lady, Prince Inoue has left for the Kingdom of Red."

Inside the throne room decorated entirely in gold, there were two people. The one who had just spoken was a girl with brown hair. She was dressed in the traditional maid outfit, except that she was dressed in black and gold instead of black and white.

The other person merely stood by the window in silence. Her black hair was now tied with a golden ribbon, and she held a gold staff in her hands. Her heterochromatic eyes were unreadable, even as she glanced out into the garden below full of golden roses in bloom.

"…did you acquire the data on Naoki Yamaguchi, Yuki?" She finally asked.

Yuki nodded. "The folder was placed on your desk moments ago, my lady."

A small nod. "Very well."

"Then I shall take my leave, my lady." With a bow, Yuki left the throne room, shutting the door behind her.

Akiyama Ryuenji let a soft sigh escape past her lips. As the Princess, she had to do what was best for her Kingdom. Sacrifices had to be made if her Kingdom was to prosper.

Even if the price required was her life.

* * *

A few weeks had passed since that "event" at the fountain. Just like every other day, Naoki was back from the Kingdom of Gold with the deserts that Rei had wanted. The only difference was that he had been meeting that black-haired girl for about a week now.

"…what's wrong?" Naoki asked hesitantly upon sensing the weird silence in the room, even as he placed the items he bought into the fridge or onto a tray respectively.

"The Princess doesn't wish to see anyone right now." The Head Chef of the Kingdom of Red, Satomi, shrugged, before resuming her cooking. "Everyone knows that you're the closest to the Princess. Maybe you can cheer her up a little?"

He blinked. "Why would the Princess need cheering up?"

"…rumor has it that Prince Inoue of Blue wants to break off the engagement." Satomi whispered. It wasn't her place to speak, but everyone liked a bit of rumors.

"I see." Without another word, Naoki exited the kitchen and went to the royal family's private quarters. Though the entire wing was occupied by just one person.

He knocked on the door gently. "…Rei?"

"Go away." Her voice was muffled and on the verge of cracking; without a doubt, Naoki knew that she had been crying. He pushed open the door and shut it behind him, before pulling the crying girl into a warm embrace.

"Don't cry, Rei…please…"

She shook her head, even as the tears continued to fall. "That girl…she just had to steal Ino-chan…I hate her…I hate her so much…"

"…which girl?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"A girl by the name of Ryuenji." The heartbroken princess sobbed. "Naoki…if she dies, do you think that Ino-chan will return to me…?"

_I doubt it._ He thought, but proceeded to hug Rei slightly tighter. "Don't worry, Rei. I won't let anything get in the way of your happiness."

* * *

"…I'm sorry this day had to come." The apology left her lips, but both of them knew that this was inevitable.

His knife was in his hands, yet he couldn't kill her. "Ryu…please, will you not flee?"

"I cannot." She answered, before taking hold of his hand. "If I have to die, then so be it." The Princess of Gold guided his blade straight into her heart.

Blood began to flow out of her mouth in a slow trickle, even as the forest floor was stained red. Even as her heterochromatic eyes glazed over, her hand went slack, signaling that she was no longer in this world.

In silence, Naoki let the tears fall.

* * *

The tears fell as he saw the lifeless, unmoving body of Akiyama Ryuenji. "Ryu…I'm so sorry…"

_Since I couldn't protect you, I shall avenge you instead._

Pulling out the blade from the girl's chest, Prince Inoue of Blue saw the crest of the Kingdom of Red's royal family.

"…this time, we will topple the king."

* * *

"I don't care how you do it, Izaya – just make sure that the Kingdom of Gold is completely obliterated." Rei had called for the Head of the Military, and was currently giving him orders.

"…but what about the citizens, my lady?" Izaya questioned, only to get silenced by a glare.

Rei pointed her fan at him. "I don't give a damn about those peasants. They can go burn for all I care."

"Understood, my lady." The former Arsonist bowed, before leaving the throne room, almost bumping into another person.

"I apologise, Captain Izaya." Naoki bowed slightly as Izaya left the room, before he walked over to Rei. "Will you have your tea in the garden or in the hall, my lady?"

"…in the garden, I think." She smiled, despite knowing that an entire kingdom was about to be burnt to ashes.

* * *

"Do we all agree on this?" Inoue questioned.

"Indeed, Sir Inoue." Ritsu Mitsukawa, Princess of the Kingdom of Silver commented. "There is just one problem, however." She raised a hand; a heartbeat later, a silver pocketwatch was placed in her outstretched hand by a girl with black hair and blue-grey eyes.

"Thank you, Lady Aria." Ritsu checked the pocketwatch for the time, before returning the pocketwatch to the girl, who kept it in her jacket pocket.

The Prince of Blue pulled down his fedora slightly. "I'm afraid I don't see the problem, Princess Ritsu."

A chuckle reverberated around the room. Battler Phoenix, Prince of the Kingdom of Purple was laughing even as he toyed with a chess piece in his hands. "We don't have a problem with attacking the Kingdom of Red, Inoue, since they've been monopolizing everything. The thing is, you haven't told us why _you_ want to attack the Kingdom of Red. Weren't your kingdoms previously on good terms?"

"I believe you were engaged to Lady Rei, were you not?" Ritsu questioned curiously.

"…" Inoue was silent for a while, before he answered. "Like you said, Prince Battler, the kingdoms of Blue and Red were _previously_ on good terms." He stiffened slightly. "My reason for attacking the Kingdom of Red is simple: revenge. They killed Ryu and destroyed the Kingdom of Gold, and they're going to pay for it."

"Very well." Battler placed the chess piece down on the table. "Then let us combine our forces to topple the Kingdom of Red."

* * *

"Rei, you have to leave." Naoki pushed the aforementioned girl out of the throne room and into a secret passageway. "They'll kill you if you stay."

"But I can't leave you behind, Naoki!" Rei protested, only to get silenced by a warm embrace.

"Don't worry about me." He pushed her slightly further into the passageway. "It is my duty as your brother to protect you, so leave while you still can."

After a few more moments, Rei finally nodded and left. Just as the door to the secret passageway closed, the combined army of Blue, Purple and Silver entered the throne room.

"…where is she?" Inoue asked, his tone icy even as he fingered his gun.

Battler merely shrugged, sheathing his sword. "Obviously not here."

"Indeed." A small smile crossed Naoki's face. "She is somewhere far away from here, in a place where you'll never reach her." The last thing he saw was the barrel of Inoue's gun pointed at him as a single shot was fired.


	8. Ohana - TFC and GoS

_TFC Characters: Rei Miyamura (LostInBeats), Naomi Yamaguchi (Arapaima), Arata Inoue (SHSL Coder), Akiyama Ryuenji (CrimsonSkyTamer), Battler Phoenix (GM – Jason Phoenix), Mika Miyamoto (Super High School Level Eater), Rina Takahashi (Hakuna Hinata)_

_GoS Characters: Zai Ming (Viner16), Madoka Aikawa (Death Kitsune II), Victor Milan Mikhailovich (Superior Moogle)_

_Prompt: Ohana_

_Anime/Forum: Danganronpa, The Floating City_

* * *

_**This story is dedicated to SHSL Coder.**_

* * *

_**[Ohana]**_

"…are you…really leaving?" A quiet voice – one that everyone recognised as Rina Takahashi's voice – broke the silence.

Arata – perhaps it was Inoue now? – turned away, letting his fedora cast a shadow over his face. "Yeah…I am." He replied.

Everyone present was gathered to "send off" the Gunslinger, who would be leaving Hope's Peak Academy for a while due to family issues.

They all knew that this day would arrive, but most of them foolishly tried to delude themselves into believing that it would never come…though Fate obviously had other ideas.

"Ino-chan…" Rei bit her lip. It was selfish of her to ask him to stay, especially since she knew this meant a lot to him. "…take care." The Escort finally finished her sentence with a soft sigh.

In silence, Arata took hold of Rei's hand, pulling her into a warm embrace. "I won't forget you. _Any_ of you." His gaze travelled from person to person, before it landed on the girl in his arms. "I'll definitely be back. I don't think I can bear to stay away for long…so don't worry."

The Gunslinger received firm nods from most of the guys, but was – unexpectedly – pulled into a hug by Battler. The Game Master brushed it off with a "It's just a brohug", even as he was mock-slapped by the Escort for "stealing Ino-chan".

It was at this point that the some of the girls started crying. Naomi, Rina and Mika were trying to comfort each other, with Madoka trying to comfort them, though he was blinking rather rapidly and trying not to let the tears fall.

Ryu had looked away, trying not to embarrass herself, but it was very obvious that she was crying. Seeing her, Battler walked over and pulled her into a protective hug, letting her cry into his chest.

Victor let out a silent sigh, even as Zai took out a pack of cigarettes in silence and offered one to Victor, who accepted. Both guys smoked a cigarette as they watched the not-so-little group in silence.

Arata, naturally, was feeling kind of bad for making so many girls cry. "Guys…I'll settle this soon, I promise." He said with a small sad smile. "But just in case shit hits the fan…thank you. Thank you all for being here for me."

"Don't be silly, Ino-chan." Rei smiled at the Gunslinger, before wrapping her arms around him in a comforting hug.

"Rei's right." Battler grins, even as Ryu nods. "_Ohana_. You know what that means?"

"Family." Victor translates, before putting out the cigarette and walking over, Zai close behind him. "_Ohana_ means family…and family means that no-one gets left behind."

"Precisely." Battler tackled Arata into another brohug. "Group hug, everyone!"

* * *

"_You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you."_

_-Frederick Buechner_


End file.
